Spain promises to declassify intelligence agency documents on 2017 terror attacks

Spain will declassify the reports of its intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Center (CNI), on the terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils on August 17, 2017.

Executive sources say that the state's secret services have "nothing to hide."

The news comes after the commission of inquiry on this issue has been reactivated this week. The group's objective is to know "the truth" about the attacks.

Junts MP in the Spanish Congress, Míriam Nogueras, has previously expressed interest in knowing the relationship between the CNI and Abdelbaki Es Satty, imam of Ripoll, who is said to have been the mastermind of the attacks.

A former Spanish police official has previously claimed that the secret services orchestrated the attacks, while news outlet Público previously published reports on the links between the intelligence agency and Es Satty. 

The action plan of the commission states that it is necessary to ask all the public administrations, authorities and officials for all documents, reports, background, or data that are necessary to investigate, clarify and analyze what happened in the terrorist attacks that killed sixteen people.

In addition, the declassifying of the documents will be explained in various Congress appearances. 

With regard to the positions linked to the CNI, there are two possible scenarios. If they choose to apply the law governing the intelligence services, they would have to explain themselves to the official secrets commission, which is done behind closed doors. If, on the other hand, the Spanish government declassifies the reserved or secret information that may exist in relation to the attacks, the members of the CNI will appear before the commission of the attacks, which is public.

The Socialists and other parties have agreed to demand the declassification of "reserved or secret" information that may exist in relation to the attacks.

Information will be requested from the CNI on the records of visits to Es Satty in Castelló prison by members of the secret services, as well as the transcript of the interviews held. The commission also wants to know the existing information on the imam's long-term residence permit and its management process.

The developments of the Spanish government moving forward with declassifying these documents come at a time when the Socialists are seeking more negotiation with Catalan pro-independence party Junts, a week after Junts surprisingly voted against housing measures in the Spanish Congress. 

The Socialists are starting to open dialogue with other parties over the 2025 Spanish budget, and would need the support of Junts to have any such bill passed, barring an unlikely agreement with the right-wing opposition, the People's Party.